Artifact Details

Description

Shortly after graduating from university, Robert Kahn took a leave of absence from MIT where he was an Assistant Professor to join the research firm Bolt, Beranek and Newman (BBN). While there, he was responsible for the system design of the Arpanet, the first wide area packet-switched network. He was also a part of the BBN team developing the Interface Message Processor (IMP), a small computer that served as the Arpanet packet switch and standardized the network interface to all attached host computers.

In October 1972, he organized a demonstration of the Arpanet at the International Computer Communication Conference in Washington, D.C. He then moved to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and subsequently became Director of its Information Processing Techniques Office. Soon after arrival, he initiated the Internetting project to develop an open architecture for networking, ensuring that communications could occur in a network-independent manner.

While devising methods of ensuring reliable communications between such networks, he and Vint Cerf developed the Internet architecture and basis for the TCP/IP protocol suite, first described publicly in May, 1974. Kahn later initiated the Strategic Computing Program, an effort to develop advanced hardware and software technologies.

Date

2006-09-30

Contributor

Cerf, Vinton G., Interviewer

Hendrie, Gardner, Cameraperson

Kahn, Robert (Bob), Interviewee

Publisher

Computer History Museum

Place of Publication

McLean, Virginia

Extent

82 p.

Category

Transcription

Subject

Kahn, Robert; Bolt, Beranek and Newman (BBN); ARPANET; Packet switching; Interface Message Processor (IMP); Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA); Internet; Cerf, Vint; TCP/IP; Strategic Computing Program

Collection Title

Oral history collection

Lot Number

X3699.2007

Related Records

102657964

Kahn, Bob (Robert) oral history